The City of Atlanta played host to the 2021 edition of the IGLTA Global Convention, the world’s premier educational and networking event for LGBTQ+ tourism professionals. Organized by the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA), the week-long event in its 37th year connected gay, lesbian, and gay-friendly travel/tourism suppliers and buyers through its hosted buyer and scheduled appointment program, numerous educational workshops, and networking receptions.
“The reason we selected Atlanta was that it would help us do work with the community within the community,” John Tanzella, President & CEO, IGLTA, said in a conversation with The Rustin Times. “We sponsored Atlanta Black Pride, and a lot of our members showed up to support the event. We want to support communities within the larger LGBT+ community. The Black community within the gay and lesbian community is not as funded and is not as visible in the mainstream. These are the things we want to bring light to those things. We also worked with Transformation Journeys Worldwide, a startup organization in Atlanta that helps train companies on the nuances of the transgender community, and we focused on the tourism side.”
Conversations at the convention ranged from the importance of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies in organizations to the importance of inclusive marketing in the travel industry. Fundamental research on travel trends related to traveling in the pandemic and the Black LGBT+ community was also discussed, including best practices regarding providing safe travels for LGBT+ people globally.
Most notable this year is the intentionality of the organization to be inclusive of all races and genders in the conversation around LGBT+ tourism and how that can be used as a tool for change when it comes to the push for LGBT+ equality globally.
“LGBT+ travel has been essential and successful to this organization for decades, and now we are moving to a space where we are starting to look at the broader spectrum to speak for all LGBT+ people.” Felipe Cardenas, Chair of the IGLTA Board of Directors and CEO of the Colombian LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, shared with The Rustin Times. “We want to record and share different experiences of women in travel and transgender individuals active in the travel industry while showcasing those destinations that are open and welcoming to all members of our community.”
“Our community is huge, and there is a lot of diversity within our community. Even though we are based in the US, we have staff in 7 countries, and our membership is in 82 countries, so it is very diverse geographically. We have a lot of members in countries where it can be challenging to be a part of our community, let alone have a business, so our foundation helps fund them with marketing and with customers in a quiet way, so we don’t get them in trouble. We try to help lift others around the world – it could be an LGBT-owned tour company in Uganda or Vietnam. We don’t usually advertise them, but we do work with them through our foundation to help them with education, marketing, and ultimately customers,” John Tanzella added.
Special awards were also given to organizations and individuals working in LGBT+ hospitality. Among the honorees was Atlanta Black Pride Weekend that took the Pathfinder Award. This honor is presented to an individual, business, or organization making a significant positive impact on their destination and demonstrating the highest standard of warmth and hospitality to the LGBTQ+ community. At the same time, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms received the Pinnacle Award for protecting and advancing LGBTQ rights in Atlanta while elevating the city to be a global leader on LGBT+ rights.
Other honorees were Matt Skallerud, president of Pink Media with the Hanns Ebensten Hall of Fame Award, and Annette Kishon-Pines, with the Ally Award. OUT in Colombia also received the first IGLTAF Impact Award presented in partnership with The TreadRight Foundation. Marriott’s Arne Sorenson was also posthumously honored with the #IGLTA2021 Chair Award for his work over the years to improve LGBT+ tourism.
In addition, over US$70,000 was raised at Voyage – an annual fundraising event that raises money to support the work that the IGLTA Foundation does in education, research, and leadership.
“It is a big world, and we want to keep helping our communities that are trying to survive and flourish. We are trying to do more creative things to support the intersectionality within our communities globally because we are in 82 countries, and a lot of the world needs help.” John Tanzella said.
The next edition of the IGLTA Global Convention will be held in Milan, Italy, in October 2022.
